Report from Good Shepherd School, Amman, Jordan
Danella and Angella are some of the newest students to join the Good Shepherd School (part of an IME partner church in Amman, Jordan). They are nine years old and from the Mosul area of Iraq. They came to Jordan four years ago when ISIS invaded northern Iraq. They learned about the school just four months ago.
The first day they attended the school they cried all day. Having been through the traumas carried out by ISIS, they were afraid to talk to anyone, either in class or on the playground. They joined the “Love” class taught by Miss "N," who made a special plan for their academic progress as well as their social progress. The girls didn’t know Arabic or English since they were from the part of Iraq that speaks Ashuri, and they had never been to school in Iraq. Miss "N" and the school principal, while visiting the girls' home, talked with their parents about how they could help the girls at home. For the first few months, Miss "N" sent a report home every day for the parents to see the progress the girls were making at school.
Now, the girls can read and write both English and Arabic and have made lots of new friends at the school. At home, their parents see a noticeable difference in them. The girls love school and can’t wait to go every day.
The Good Shepherd School ministers specifically to Iraqi refugee children who need a place of security and stability after fleeing very traumatic circumstances.